Circuit boards, such as printed circuit boards, are used in a variety of electronic systems or devices, such as computers and the like. The electronic devices are typically formed with an enclosure or chassis that includes one or more walls to which standoffs are mounted. The standoffs are designed to receive and support the circuit board at a desired spacing from the adjacent wall of the enclosure or chassis. Typically, the circuit boards are secured to the chassises via the standoffs using fasteners such as screws, that extend through holes drilled in the circuit boards for threaded engagement with the standoffs.
Generally, the mechanical connection of an individual circuit board to a chassis is designed to adequately secure the circuit board to the chassis and prevent it from becoming dislodged under anticipated mechanical service loads. The mechanical connection should also be designed so that it is easily operable allowing for the individual circuit boards to be easily and efficiently installed upon initial manufacture, and so that removal and replacement of the circuit boards for the purpose of maintenance is easily accomplished with reduced effort.
As previously mentioned, current methods in the art for attaching circuit boards to chassises or the like, include the use of screws through holes drilled in the circuit board. Typically, a screw is placed through a hole drilled through the circuit board, and screwed into the chassis. This method of screw attachment has drawbacks however.
Connection and/or attachment with screws through holes in the circuit board require relatively large periods of time to install and remove. Moreover, the insertion and removal of screws increases the risk of damage to the circuit board or components mounted on the circuit board. During installation of a circuit board, each screw must be tightened by a tool, and any slippage or inadvertent movement of the tool can damage the circuit board or its components. Also, if a screw is misdirected during installation and the screw is forced against a portion of the circuit board, damage to the circuit board and/or its components may be caused. Furthermore, loose screws may be dropped, lost or misplaced within the chassis or on the circuit board during installation or maintenance, which can cause further damage to the circuit boards.
The aforementioned screw attachment methods have additional drawbacks also, in that they require the circuit boards to have a plurality of holes drilled or punched through the circuit boards at various locations of the circuit boards through which the screws pass. The holes use up valuable surface area of the circuit boards where additional components may be placed. The holes are also permanent and fixed, and if for some reason the attachment points of the circuit board are not compatible with corresponding points of the chassis or frame, they cannot be adj usted and new holes must be punched or drilled.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art to provide an apparatus and method that allows for the efficient, secure mechanical attachment of circuit boards and the like, to chassises or frames without the use of screws or other conventional fasteners going through holes in the circuit board. Moreover, there is a further need for an apparatus and method for efficiently securing circuit boards to chassises and the like, that is adjustable.